Love is Blind
by EffervescentGrace
Summary: Because in that moment, there was nothing bluer than his eyes, except the feeling in Nico's heart as he looked at them. College!AU, starts with Solangelo as nine year olds.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Nico first met Will when he was nine years old. He had been sitting in the front lawn of his house, Mythomagic cards scattered around him though they lay abandoned as he was far more interested in watching the happenings of the house next to him.  
There were new neighbours moving in, and Nico was extremely curious of them. He had seen a light blue car park in the garage, and then the moving van in the driveway and had promptly forgotten all about his playing cards, instead looking across as men moved furniture into the house.

They were very bright people, was what Nico concluded about the family. The furniture was bright, the clothes they wore were bright and the way they spoke was the brightest of them all. Nico, at his young age, thought he had a pretty good life, but never had he seen such sunny smiles before.

There was a woman, with thick chocolate coloured hair and eyes like sweet peas, and there was a man with shimmering hair and eyes like the clear skin. And there was a boy, with pale curls and honey skin, who sat on the far end of the porch, watching the world around him with obvious interest.

Somehow, the boy must have caught Nico staring, for the next moment, his face was tilted in Nico's direction and Nico could feel the boy's eyes on his skin. Blushing, embarrassed at being caught, Nico scurried into his house, picking up his Mythomagic cards on the way. He glanced back at the door, seeing that the boy was with his mother, who smoothed down his hair and kissed the top of his head.

It was not until nearly a week later did Nico actually meet Will. The blond boy was lying underneath a tree with pencils and paper, but glanced up after a few moments of Nico watching him curiously from his own porch. Nico could see his smile from where he stood, and blushed as he waved Nico over.

Nico sheepishly walked over to him, wondering if he was about to be yelled at for staring like a weirdo. But instead, the boy patted the ground next to him and smiled. Nico saw up close that he was wearing thin framed glasses and his eyes were twinkling brightly.

And Nico swore that there was nothing in the world bluer than his eyes.

* * *

"Hi," Nico said timidly, shuffling from foot to foot in his awkwardness. The boy's smile dimmed slightly, the colour of his eyes darkening to the colour of the deep sea. He pointed to his ear and then shook his head, almost apologetically. Nico frowned, trying to work it out- and then it clicked and he gaped.

"You can't… hear?" He asked questioningly. The boy looked at him intensely, as if trying to read what he had said, and then slowly nodded. He pulled out a blank piece of paper and scribbled on it with purple pencil.

'_I'm Will_,' it read. Nico grabbed a green pencil and wrote back, grimacing as he noticed his writing was a lot messier than Will's.

'_I'm Nico'_ he wrote back. Will smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners and they brightened, as if he was surprised

'_How old are you?_' Will wrote to him and Nico wrote back.

'_9\. What about you?_' Will squinted down at the paper, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth. He poised his pencil, ready to write.

'_I'm nine as well._' He wrote. Nico hesitated, wondering if his next question would be what his mother would consider rude. Will noticed his hesitation and nudged him softly, prompting Nico to begin writing.

'_Have you always been deaf?_' He asked, and then looked away, just _knowing _that Will would be mad at him, because that really was such an insensitive thing to say, and why on earth had he said it?

He started when Will tapped his shoulder. He glanced at the blond boy and saw that he was pointing at the paper, where, to Nico's immense surprise, he had hastily written a paragraph.

'_Yeah, I've been deaf since I was born; I have this thing called Usher Syndrome. I'm pretty clumsy, but that's okay. I'm also starting to go blind, my doctor says I'll probably be fully blind by the time I'm thirteen, maybe even older.'_

Nico stared down at the paper, horror building within him at the thought. He glanced up at Will to see that he was watching Nico's reaction carefully. Nico was suddenly very aware of the fact that Will had been outside all on his own- did he have any friends? It was true that he had only just moved into the neighbourhood, but he had been playing outside a few times. And while Nico wasn't exactly the best person at making friends himself, he still hung around a few of the other kids.

Did the other kids know that Will had Usher Syndrome? Is that why none of them had played with him?

'_I'm sorry,' _ Nico wrote back to him. '_I shouldn't have asked._'

'_It's okay._' Will wrote back, and he smiled gently. '_It's better to read the question than have to explain it awkwardly.' _

Nico pondered this for a moment and concluded that it was true. This then made him ask another question.

'_How are you gonna talk when you go blind_?'

Will grinned at him and held out his hands to Nico, palms up. Nico frowned, confused, and slowly raised his own in an imitation. Will gently took his hand and traced a finger along his palm lightly. For some reason, Nico felt a blush creep up his neck as Will carefully drew lines on his hand.

Will let go a moment later and grabbed the paper. '_You know how when your deaf, people use sign language? Well, since I'm going to go blind, I learned to sign on people's hands so I can still communicate with people when that happens.' _

Nico swallowed, taking that in. Will seemed to accept that he would be blind almost emotionlessly, but his smile always dimmed slightly at the thought.

'_Teach me how to sign?_' Nico asked. '_I want to be able to talk to you still when that happens._'

Will's eyes lit up with joy, and Nico swore, again, that he'd never see anything bluer than them.

* * *

They became best friends very quickly. Will, Nico had found, was very talkative, despite the fact Nico had never heard his voice. He would constantly write notes to Nico, and teach him to sign when Nico finished school (Will was homeschooled, Nico was told) and he would constantly have something interesting to discuss.

Over the next few years, they were nearly inseparable. And when Will's vision trickled down to nothingness, Nico was there for him.

And then there was the day that Will had to leave.

"It's not fair," he signed rapidly against Nico's palm, his hands trembling as he tried to hold back tears. Despite all the stereotypes that said otherwise, Will's eyes did not turn milky, but had remained the same brilliant blue. And Nico frowned deeply as they twinkled with unshed tears, Will looking at him but not seeing him.

"I can't hear, I've never been able to hear, and now that I'm not being able to see it's like they're trying to take away my hands. They won't sign to me; they put my hands to their cheeks and try to make me _hear_. But I can't hear, I've never been able to hear. And now they're sending me away to this school where everyone can see but me and I'll still be a freak and you won't be there."

Nico's hands shook badly as he signed back. "I'm sorry, I've tried to get them to let you stay. I'm so, so sorry Will. You're my best friend and I love you, and I'm sorry."

The tears spilled down Will's face silently. His father grasped his shoulder and Will jumped, clinging to Nico's hand. He knew he'd have to leave soon.

"Promise me- promise me you'll sign to me again. That I'll have you back in my life."

_I promise. _That was what Nico had signed back hastily as Will was led away to his now old blue car, to be taken half way across the country, to go to a school where he'd feel secluded and alone. Nico clenched his fists and promised himself that he'd keep his promise, because he didn't want his last memory of Will to be such a sad sight.

Because in that moment, there was nothing bluer than his eyes, except for the feeling in Nico's heart as he looked at them.

_**Author's Note: Hi all! This was out a lot quicker than I thought it'd be! I hope you all like the prologue (It's kind of short, but it is the prologue, so I guess it's okay?) **_

_**LOVE YOU ALL!**_


	2. Chapter 2

C**hapter One**

On Nico's first day of college, Bianca was the only one to see him off. Nico could not say he expected anything else; after all, his father was busy with work, and Hazel had school of her own she couldn't miss. So it was just Bianca, which was okay, because while it was _just _Bianca, it was _Bianca_.  
She was his older sister, who was always there for him and always did what she thought was best. For a while, when Nico was fifteen and their mother died, Bianca was all he had. And though he now knew his father and his younger sister, he still thought of Bianca as more of a parental figure.

"Remember, your roommate has already been here a few days, apparently, so don't get in his way," She said as she shoved Nico's bag into his hands. Nico nodded, sighing as he glanced down at his room number once again. In all honesty, he was kind of reluctant to start college; not because he didn't want to study more, (because honestly, he didn't know what he wanted to do right now, and studying seemed like the best choice) but because he just didn't want to be away from Bianca. She was pretty much his only friend since he was fourteen years old, and he really, really didn't want her to leave.

"Nico, are you listening?" Bianca asked, raising her eyebrows at him. Nico glanced at her and shrugged, because in all honesty he hadn't been. Bianca sighed in exasperation and shook her head.

"Whatever, everything I was telling you is in the text message I sent you earlier." Her eyes softened and she gave Nico a warm smile. "I'm really glad you're doing this, Neeks."

Nico shrugged, feeling pleased and embarrassed at the same time. "Thanks… I should properly- "

"I SWEAR TO ALL THE DIETIES-"

In unison, Nico and Bianca turned and stared as a woman with short cropped mahogany hair cursed loudly and grabbed a tall, blond man's arm and grasped his hand, quickly swiping her finger along his palm. Nico's stomach did a funny lurch as he recognised what she was doing- Fingerspelling, used frequently by the deaf-blind. The thought made Nico feel suddenly ill.

His mind flashed to a watery smile and palatinate eyes. Immediately, he pushed away the thought, least he become enraptured by the past.

"He reminds me of someone," Bianca said with interest, not even blinking an eye at the sign language. "I can't remember who."

Nico shrugged weakly, knowing who she was referring to and wanting to get as far away from the topic as possible. "Well, do you want to head to my room?" He asked. Bianca blanched, looking guilty.

"Sorry, little brother, I actually need to go like, five minutes ago," She said apologetically. She gave him a quick hug while Nico tried to hide his disappointment. It wouldn't do to show Bianca that he was sad to see her leave; it would just make her feel guilty, and Nico didn't want that. Besides, he was nineteen. He should be able to go to college and study without worrying about whether his sister would be around to help him.

"Okay, I'll see you whenever I see you, then?" He asked, grinning crookedly. Bianca smiled back and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah," Her smile gentled into something fonder. "Bye, Neeks."

"Bye… I'll miss you," He said. Bianca hugged him again.

"I'll miss you too,"

* * *

Nico's room was larger than he thought it would be; which was definitely something he would enjoy as he liked his space. It also had large windows, which let in a lot of light (not as much as a plus- Nico would have to buy dark curtains so he wouldn't be up to early in the morning) and the furniture was some sort of light brown wood that Nico couldn't be bothered putting a name to.

The only thing that genuinely annoyed him about the room was the creaking floorboards. Were the buildings really that old here that the floorboards creaked? Nico liked peace and quiet- he could only hope that his roommate would be considerate enough to not walk around like a stampede of elephants.

He set up his side of the room fairly quickly; the other side was scarce- a simple cream bedspread, a desk with what looked like various medical books and some strange looking device that Nico was unsure of, and clothes hanging neatly from the open wardrobe.

Nico's side of the room wasn't much better; he had a dark bedspread and pillows, with his MacBook and Ipad on his desk, as well as the textbooks he had for his various classes. He also had a small bookshelf for his novels at one side and his clothes were all folded and in his drawers.

Nico wondered who he was sharing his room with, whether the guy would be overly friendly, or snub him their entire four years. Either seemed horrible to Nico- he hoped he would just have a normal roommate, since he had to have one at all. Nico, first and foremost, was an introvert who didn't like being around too many people. Having an extremely enthusiastic roommate really wouldn't go down well with him.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long to find out; about twenty minutes after he was finished sorting out his side of the room, the door flew open and two people walked in- the same two people Nico and Bianca had seen earlier. _Great. _The girl was signing rapidly on the boy's hand, and Nico came to the conclusion that he most definitely _was _deaf and blind, unless they thought they were cool signing to one another with no other reason.

The girl glanced up, hazel-green eyes narrowing at the sight of Nico, and she signed on the boy's hand again. The boy looked up as well, and Nico's breath caught because _no way, no way- _

There was no way that was Will Solace standing in front of him.

But Nico would recognise those eyes anywhere; they plagued him with guilt and made him stay awake at night. Will Solace, who had been shorter than him when they were younger, Will Solace, who's eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled and who had deep dimples, Will Solace, who cared so deeply about his friend that he literally begged not to be moved away but was anyway, _Will_.

"Hey!" The girl said brightly, snapping Nico out of his thoughts. "I'm Lou, this is Will-" Nico's stomach lurched at the conformation. "Don't bother introducing yourself to him, he won't be able to hear you- and don't bother signing unless you know tactile, cause he won't be able to see you either. Oh- he's your roommate, by the way. You are?"

Nico stared at her, wondering if she often blurted out stuff like that- and god, Will was his roommate? Will Solace was his roommate.

"I- um- Nico. I'm Nico." He stammered, eyes trained on Will, who's expression was curious. Nico noticed Lou was tracing lightly on his hand still, and Nico recognised that she was signing to Will the conversation that had just begun. When Nico's name came up, Will's eyes- _such blue eyes that hadn't changed, how hadn't they changed?- _lit up and widened. He eagerly signed back to Lou, and she raised her eyebrows at him. Nico read the message, glad that Will had at least taught him how to sign.

"What does he look like?"

Lou signed back to him, looking mildly curious. "Around five foot six, dark hair and eyes, kind of tanned skin-"

Will grinned widely. "Take me to him, please."

Nico swallowed as Lou led Will over, and Will fumbled for his hand. Slowly, carefully, Will signed on his hand.

"Hi,"

Nico, hands shaking slightly with nerves, signed back. "Hey,"

Will's smile became wider and he signed faster this time, less careful, more comfortable. "I'm Will- this is kind of weird, but I had a friend named Nico when I was younger."

Nico swallowed, wondering what to say. Could he just tell Will, about this amazing coincidence, that they just happen to be back in each other's lives? Did this mean that Nico had kept his promise from all those years ago? He bit his lip and replied;

"I had a friend named Will when I was younger to, he looked a lot like you. But he was a lot shorter."

And suddenly, Will's smile was almost blindingly bright, and before Nico could do anything, before he or Lou could stop Will, Nico's face was tilted and he was being kissed by his long lost friend.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed this story so far :D If you have any questions, requests, etc, about this fic or any of my others, or even just about me, my Tumblr is EffervescentGrace**_

_**Love you all xoxoxo**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

There was something about being kissed by your kind- of childhood crush that was completely wonderful and yet terrifying at the same time. Nico could smell Will's scent, and he thought that Will must use some kind of girl's body wash, because he smelt of apples. His upper lip was slightly thinner than his lower lip, and they were warm and kind of dry, but that was okay because they slotted against Nico's lips quite nicely, and Nico's lips were slightly damp, so it all worked out.

Will's face was interesting to look at from so close up, which Nico knew because he moronically had his eyes opened, despite being kissed by a very attractive boy who smelt of apples and had nice lips. Will had pale eyelashes that were nearly as thick as a girl's but not as long, and there was a tiny beauty mark under his left eye, and he had pale gold freckles splattered across the bridge of his nose. This was Will's face, a face that Will would never be able to look in a mirror and see.

Nico continued noticing these little things as Will slowly pulled away, and Nico realised that Will had been holding his upper arms tightly. Will had a dimple on his chin, and laugh lines like faded scars at the corners of his eyes. His tongue darted out and licked his lips, and Nico noticed that it was a nervous action, and that Will's smile was a nervous smile.

The first person to break the deafening silence was Lou, which seemed appropriate, as Lou looked like someone who liked to talk. She was blinking rapidly, looking back and forth between Nico and Will like this was a particularly interesting tennis match. Quite appropriately, she exclaimed:

"Holy _shit_."

If Nico wasn't in mind numbing shock (because, you know, he'd just been unexpectedly kissed during an unexpected reunion) that was probably what he'd be thinking as well, but as it was, Nico _was _in mind numbing shock, and all he could think about was the nervous smile he saw directly in front of him.

Will wrung his hands, then smoothed out his pants and then ran a hand through his hair. It occurred to Nico that Will, you know, couldn't see or hear, so he was probably quite scared and lost in this moment, but Nico couldn't remember how to move his legs let alone sign, and he desperately wished he could, because he was staring into vulnerable eyes the colour of the Caribbean oceans.

Lou, luckily, seemed to abruptly go into motion, as she promptly walked over to Will and traced her name onto his arm. It was obvious that Will relaxed at her touch and he fumbled for her hand, hastily scribbling an urgent: "What's going on?"

Nico realised belatedly that he was idiotically gaping like a fish. The thought was enough to snap him out of his shock, because if there was one thing Nico hated, it was embarrassing himself, and he definitely would have embarrassed himself had he continued standing there.

In a quick movement, he reached out to Will.

"It's Nico. You do realise you just kissed me, don't you?"

Will sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as if contemplating his answer. "I love you."

The thought struck Nico, instantly, as ridiculous. Will Solace, love him? "You don't even know me."

Will frowned. Lou stepped back, looking away as if not wanting to be a part of this moment. Nico was grateful for the tact.

"You're the boy who spoke to his weird neighbour who did nothing but draw pictures under trees. You're the boy who learnt to speak my way because I couldn't speak yours. You're the boy who promised that we would find each other again and now we've found each other and I love you."

Will had a way with words, Nico thought. Will had always had a way with words. Even when he was a frantic thirteen year old, he had a way of speaking with his hands that made Nico want to cry.

"I'm not the same person I was when I was a child, Will."

"Even so, I think I'd love the person you are now as well."

Nico shook his head, knowing that Will couldn't see him. "You can't kiss me again, okay? I'm not a good person."

Will tucked his bottom lip between his teeth again. "Can we be friends then?"

Nico hesitated, because god he wanted to be friends with Will again, but he wasn't sure if Will would truly want to be his friend. "Okay."

Will's smile was glorious to look at.

* * *

"I've known Will since we were fourteen," Lou told Nico around her smoothie. They were sitting in a café on campus, Will next to them, eating a salad and looking content to do just that. "My mother worked in the clinic that Will was in, and so I knew how to sign tactile. I immediately wanted to befriend him, he looked so lonely. He never wanted to go to that place."

Nico picked up a fry from his plate. "Yeah, I know. He was really upset when his parents made him go- it was heartbreaking, and… I couldn't do anything to help."

Lou's eyes softened and she nudged him with her foot under the table. "You were only a kid, what could you have done? Besides, look at him now. He's so happy."

They both looked at Will, and as if sensing their eyes on him, he curiously looked up. Lou drew a quick heart on the top of his hand and Will smiled, going back to his meal. He did look happy, Nico thought, and he wondered if he would ever be that happy if he was in Will's position. Probably not.

Nico ate a fry slowly, wondering what life was like for Will these past few years. It seemed his parents had given him more freedom, at least, if he was in college, and not still in 'the clinic' as Lou called it. Nico had never known where exactly Will had been taken to; only that Will hadn't wanted to go.

He was snapped out of his musing to see Will was impatiently tapping at Lou, who looked vaguely irritated. Will scrawled something so quickly to Lou that Nico didn't have time to interpret, but Lou rolled her eyes and sighed, which led Nico to believe that Will was saying something she didn't like.

"Fine, you moron, we'll go now." She muttered out loud while tracing the words on Will's skin. Will instantly brightened and stood hastily. Nico stared, wondering what the hell was going on.

Lou raised her eyebrows at him. "Nico, how to you feel about watching a DeafBlind kid play basketball?"

* * *

_**Author's Note: Hi guys! Sorry this chapter took a while, I've recently gotten a lot of assessment tasks for school and I'm kind of buried beneath them (plus, I've been working on my other two stories, Amortenia (Hogwarts Solangelo yay!) and Call Me (Sequel to Wrong Number), which both have chapters up, so if you find that interesting, you should totally go read them!**_

_**I hope this chapter isn't disappointing. I noticed once it was written that I wasn't using the same writing style as before, but that's probably because I just read Paper Towns by John Green, which is utterly beautiful and makes my writing look utterly shite in comparison. **_

_**Anyways, thank you everyone who's enjoying this story, I hope you'll tell me what you think about it in a review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

* * *

Watching Will play basketball was strange. Lou was obviously assisting him in it, and Nico was incredibly impressed by how agile she was. She would dart over the court, stomping at moments, catching the ball that flew her way. The game wasn't quite basketball as it was a serious game of catch, but Will was obviously having fun, judging from the delighted grin on his face.

Lou explained that because two of Will's senses, seeing and hearing, were blocked, his other senses were heightened, and they used that to their advantage while playing. She stomped the floor, making vibrations so that Will would be able to feel where Lou was and toss the ball. Will was surprisingly graceful with his tosses, considering the fact he couldn't see or hear. It was all very fascinating to watch.

They stayed there for around an hour and a half, until Lou said she had to go unpack because her roommate, a girl named Miranda, was a bit of a neat freak and would rip her head off if there were random boxes in their dorm lying around. Which made it Nico's responsibility to lead Will back to their room.

Nico nearly glared at Will when instead of allowing Nico to hold his wrist, he turned his hand so that their fingers were linked together. But the effect of the glare was lost on Will, for obvious reasons, and besides, Will was smiling in an all too genuinely innocent way. It made Nico flush and turn away, scowling at anyone who looked at them holding hands.

When they finally reached their dormitory- stumbling a little on the stairs, as Nico had to tap on Will's shoulder continuously so he knew they were there- Nico was slightly exhausted, and more than a little frustrated, which really wasn't fair and he knew it. It wasn't Will's fault he couldn't see or hear, and Nico really shouldn't be frustrated.

He took Will's hand and quickly wrote, "Why don't you use a cane?"

Will blanched at the abrupt question, and his eyebrows drew together in a displeased frown. "I don't like it. It makes me feel like a freak."

Nico didn't reply, instead going to lie on his bed, frowning at the creaking floorboards as he did. He realised now that Will had probably been purposely placed in this room, as the floorboards would be a way for him to 'see' in a way. A moment after Nico lied down, the bed sunk at the side, and Will's fingers were feather-light on the back of his neck. Nico shivered and shrugged Will's hand off, not wanting him to feel the goose bumps that erupted across his skin.

There was a long moment when nothing happened, and then suddenly Will was pressing a hand to Nico's side insistently, nudging him, obviously wanting to speak. Nico sighed loudly and rolled over.

"Have I done something wrong?" Will asked, his face pinched in worry, holding onto Nico's hand like a lifeline. Nico's annoyed expression softened, because it really wasn't Will's fault.

"No, you did nothing wrong," Nico wrote in response. "I'm just being an idiot."

Will still looked a little upset, but he didn't look extremely worried anymore, which was a relief. Nico was already beginning to feel guilty for being irritated.

"Can I ask you something?" Will inquired. Nico sighed and nodded, then realised Will couldn't see and wrote against his skin.

"Sure, go ahead. I may not answer, though."

Will seemed to accept that, then bit his lip. "Can I lie next to you, please?"

Nico's breath caught, and he deliberated. The thought of Will Solace, DeafBlind, beautiful, blue eyed Will Solace lying next to him was an incredible thought, one that Nico probably shouldn't be so tempted by. But he was, oh god, he was, and so, against his better judgement, he traced a yes onto the palm of Will's hand.

"Why do you think you're a bad person?"

Nico tensed and turned his head to the side, mulling over how to answer and then decided not to. It wasn't Will's business; he didn't have to know anything.

The air was thick when Will wrote "I'm sorry."

Nico sighed and turned so his body was facing Will's. "It's okay, it's not your fault." And damn it, Nico shouldn't have looked at Will because those bloody eyes were getting to him again, and he really had to stop letting that happen because it wasn't good for him to keep on getting lost in them if he was going to try and _not _fall in love with Will.

"Can I stay here? This is my first time being away from my family…"

Nico scrutinised Will, looking for any kind of deceit or something to tell him that Will was planning something not entirely innocent. When he saw nothing, he wrote a small okay on Will's arm.

* * *

Which was how Nico woke up in the morning, caught in a bear-like hug from that stupid boy with the stupid blue eyes that made Nico think stupidly.

It was going to be a long four years of college.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Forgive me, please, this story is giving me trouble and I'm not sure why. It's kind of fillery. It wasn't meant to be, but I lost where this chapter was going at about the beginning and bullshitted a bit because I remember the plot but not the details. I might have to leave this story for a while (I'm really sorry, especially since it's been like, a month!) just to work out what I'm doing with it. I'm definitely going to finish it, though!**_


	5. Chapter 6

**Chapter Four**

"I'm sorry, but you're really dumb sometimes,"

It took everything in Nico's power not to do something drastic, like flick Will in between the eyebrows. He'd never see it coming, literally, it'd be the perfect attack. Especially since he was wearing that stupid, smug grin that meant he knew Nico was peeved with him and yet couldn't do anything about it. Because he was nice, and it was against his morals to attack a guy who was deaf and blind.

"I hate you," Nico wrote back to him. Will batted his eyelashes at Nico.

"L-I-A-R," He wrote each letter individually and Nico scowled, wishing his regular death glares would work on this guy. It was really difficult trying to come up with witty insults and comebacks when your opponent had years of time perfecting his own.

"Why am I dumb, anyway?" Nico asked irritably, letting go of Will's hand to go back to his homework. Will's hand made heavy contact with Nico's shoulder, making him wince. Maybe he was dumb if he constantly didn't see that coming. Of course, being unable to see or hear, Will couldn't have any idea where people were, or how heavy-handed he was being. Nico couldn't blame him, not at all, but god damn it that hurt.

"You like this Percy guy and I get that," Will wrote on his clothed skin, more forcefully than usual, Nico knew because he thought clothes obscured what he was trying to say. "But he's one of those official straight guys. He's with Annabeth."

Will knew Annabeth, which Nico had been surprised about. Apparently, they shared a class. What classes Will did, or even his degree, were still a mystery to Nico. He sometimes saw splashes of vivid paint on Will's face, so he assumed he did an art class, but Nico was also unsure how exactly that would work. He wondered if that made him one of those ignorant bitches. Probably, knowing him and social media. Will never minded Nico's smart mouth and dark jokes, though, so it couldn't have been that bad.

But still, Nico didn't really want to have this conversation with Will. It was just slightly awkward to talk about the guy you were in pseudo love with, with the guy who was genuinely in love with you. And yeah, it was Nico's fault, since he had brought up Percy in the first place, but he honestly hadn't meant to. It had just happened, it was like a skill of Nico's to be able to bring whatever was on his mind into a conversation.

"Sorry for mentioning him, but it's none of your business," Nico answered, making sure his words were written lightly and swiftly, just so Will could 'hear' the coolness of his tone. Instantly, arms slid around his neck from behind, and lips were pressing to the back of his neck gently.

He felt a shiver go through him and yelped, quickly scrambling away from Will. Will smiled at him angelically, as if asking what was wrong. Nico glared heavily, really, really wishing that could work. Will's hands moved in front of him for a moment, searching for him, and Nico watched as his expression slowly changed from angelical and began to fill with panic, as Nico tried to calm his own racing heartbeat.

Reluctantly, he reached forward and grabbed Will's hand, because he wasn't cruel enough to leave him on his own for too long. Instantly, relief filled Will's face, and he squeezed Nico's hand tightly.

Nico turned Will's hand over. "You aren't allowed to do that, Will."

"Why not?" Will was pouting. "You know I love you, so what's the problem with me kissing you?"

Nico scrutinised him closely. Despite his sulking, Will also seemed genuinely confused, so Nico sighed and then wrote back.

"You can't just kiss someone because you want to," He wrote carefully, trying to phrase it in a way that wouldn't spook Will. "You need permission from the other person, otherwise it's…"

He scrunched up his face, not knowing the tactile for the words he needed. He sighed and simply spelt out in English. "Sexual harassment."

Will's face clearly showed he had no idea that it was possible to get in trouble for such a thing. His pout had morphed into an expression of understanding, then embarrassment, then growing shame.

"I'm sorry," He signed back. If he could see, Nico is sure he would have looked away from Nico. As it was, he just stared forward, unable to know Nico was looking right back at him.

"It's alright, just don't do it again," He wrote back, and Will nodded earnestly, before standing. He began walking to his side of the room, outstretched hands touching the clutter against the walls, the floorboards squeaking underneath him.

In the three weeks that they had been rooming together, Nico had quickly been piecing together many things about Will's day to day life. He had lots of things that he didn't need so he could guide himself around his room. He walked in a way that allowed him to feel the dips in the floorboards easily. When they were getting lunch, he would raise his nose in the air until he'd smell something he liked and would describe it to either Nico or Lou. When they weren't in their room, Will needed to be constantly touching someone or he would begin to break down. He was very quick to show when he needed help with something. He was uneasy in crowds of people.

Nico watched as Will sat on his bed and shuffled around for the work he had left there. The papers were thick, written in Braille, and Will seemed to tire of them very quickly. He had a large electronic braille reader on his desk, but Nico had never even seen Will touch it, other than when he first got it out of its box, which had been done reluctantly. In fact, Will didn't really own any of the assisting equipment that the DeafBlind usually owned, or if he did, he just refused to use them.

Nico hadn't questioned him on it. It wasn't his place to say anything.

The door was thrown open, banging against the wall. Nico scowled as Lou strolled in like she owned the place. Will, who felt the tremor of the door, looked up curiously. He relaxed and smiled when Lou brushed her fingers against his cheek.

"Hey loser," She wrote to him. Lou, Nico had been quick to discover, was somewhat of an asshole. She insulted people often, even if it was meant to be a joke, and was very self-entitled. But she was also fiercely protective of Will, and tried her best to make him as comfortable as possible, as often as possible. "I'm going shopping and you're coming with."

"I have homework," Will wrote back, but he was grinning, which meant he was just teasing. Lou grinned back, and wrote in a loopy manner that meant playfulness.

"Well, I'm sure your therapist will mind, but I don't think you really care for signing like a second grader," She wrote, and Will blanched, nodding along. He reached, and Lou assisted him, holding his elbow to help him as he slowly stood. Without assistance, Will was much slower and clumsier than he was regularly.

"Is Nico coming?" She asked Will, who shrugged. Lou glanced at Nico, raising her eyebrows. He shook his head, already having plans in the next half an hour. He had a Skype session with Hazel that he needed to get to.

"He isn't coming," Lou told Will, who nodded easily, waving in Nico's general direction goodbye. They walked out, Will with an arm around Lou's waist. Nico had to stop himself from starting to scowl, instead turning back to the work he had to finish.

/\

"I don't get it," Hazel said, her image lagging slightly due to poor internet reception. "You've always felt bad about not being with him, and now that he's there, you're avoiding him?"

Nico sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "It's not that simple, Hazel," He rested his cheek on the palm on his hand. "It's more… I'm worried."

Hazel's image focused, and her golden eyes gazed at Nico with concern and curiousity. She had a tiny silver temporary tattoo of a butterfly against her dark cheek. "What's worrying you?"

"He says he's in love with me," Nico's eyes flickered around the empty room. "But he's in love with the me he remembers from when we were kids, and I'm not that same guy…" He swallowed and continued. "I don't want to hurt him."

Hazel was silent, and when Nico looked at her again, she looked deep in thought. Her eyes were gentle when she responded. "I don't think you're as different as you make yourself out to be, Nico."

Nico's mouth was dry. "I am,"

Hazel's eyes hardened and she leaned forward so Nico could see her firm expression well. "You aren't a bad person."

"Hazel-"

"Bianca and I always tell you this, but you don't get it," She said softly. "Nico, what happened with your mom-"

"I have to go, sorry Hazel," He said quickly. "I have to meet with some classmates."

They barely had time to exchange 'I love yous' before Nico hung up, breathing out slowly. He couldn't deal with another one of those talks. He just couldn't. It wasn't fair, for Hazel to bring that up.

He rested his head against the desk and groaned.

* * *

_**Author's Note: THIS IS OFF HIATUS WHAT WHAT SINCE WHEN DID I TAKE THIS OFF HIATUS WHAT I'M ACTUALLY CONTINUING SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE PROBABLY THOUGHT I WAS NEVER GOING TO TAKE OFF HIATUS WHAT. **_

_**Plot is organised. Characters are hashed out. I'm happy. And I've done some extra research on Usher Syndrome, which is very interesting by the way!**_

_**Reviews are very very welcomed and appreciated! :D**_


	6. Chapter 7

**Chapter Five**

Nico was eleven years old and cicadas screamed their protest against the mid-summer heat. His raspberry icy pole was dribbling streaks of pale red down his hands, leaving him with uncomfortably sticky hands but satisfaction at keeping cool in the dry heat.

He had been waiting.

His feet were kicking out from under his feet, body rocking gently with the garden swing placed on his porch. He could hear the sounds of crashing inside, his parents yelling in Italian. He licked his icy pole, humming to himself. Just waiting, waiting. His coffee-bean black hair was sticking to his dark skin, clumping together with sweat. His white shirt was damp in places, and his pale blue shorts were airing out his legs.

His head shot up when he saw a familiar sky-blue car roll down the street, into the driveway next door. His feet hit the wooden boards of the porch as he jumped down the stairs. His icy pole laid forgotten, in the dry yellowing grass of his front yard. And Will's eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled and stumbled out of the car.

Naomi Solace smiled fondly at Nico as she helped her son stand on even ground, letting him go so the two young boys could hug. She and her husband, whose name was something really boring to Nico, like Fred or Lester, made their way inside, holding up two hands, fingers spread wide. Twenty minutes.

Will took both of Nico's hands in his marginally smaller ones, leading him slowly towards their tree. Technically, it was just the oak in Will's front yard, but they played under it so much that it was now theirs. Nico let Will take his time, not complaining as he squinted at their feet and stumbled over groves in the land or tripped a little on rocks. He knew it didn't even matter because Will smiled so big and bright when they were finally under the big, shady branches of the oak tree.

"Let's lay down." Will wrote on Nico's palm, reaching out and clumsily lying down, rolling onto his back. Nico copied him without protest. Will got tired easily as his eyesight slowly vanished and he struggled harder to read and write and see things that were right in front of him. So Nico liked to do things that made Will feel better.

He reached out, touching the smooth edge of the thin frames of Will's round spectacles, hand slipping to take his hand and write against it. "These glasses make you look like Harry Potter." He paused, and wrote more. "I like them."

Will's eyes warmed from the tired blue of still water to the sparkling of a sun-lit ocean. He rolled onto his side, gazing at Nico's face with as much concentration as possible. "Here, try them on."

Nico didn't really like trying on Will's new prescriptions when he got them, because it made him realise just how blind Will was rapidly becoming. But he liked doing things for Will, and he was curious, so he gently took the glasses from Will's face and lowered them onto the bridge of his nose. And immediately, the lines of the world blurred together intensely. Nico took them off and put them back on Will's face.

"It's gotten worse." He wrote, and then hugged Will. He pretended not to notice the way Will's hands bunched tightly in the back of his shirt, or the way he smelt like disinfectant. Gently, he wrote on Will's back, not wanting to let him go. "It's okay, you know. Even if you're blind, I can be your eyes for you."

Will rubbed his nose against Nico's shoulder as his own shook. His hands trembled as he wrote back. "What if you're at school?"

Nico thought about that. Sometimes he'd have to be places without Will, like school. Will was home-schooled, so Nico didn't get to see him much on weekdays. "If I'm at school, then I'll just skip and come home and help you."

"How will you know if I need you to help me?"

Nico leaned back and pinched Will's chubby cheeks. As they grew older from nine year olds, Will's body had softened out, gaining weight easily with the onslaught of sweets Nico always presented him with. Nico preferred the round shoulders and cheeks to frail bones that he used to see on Will.

"I'll use magic," Nico said out loud, watching Will read his lips with squinted eyes. "I'll always know when you need me because I love you, got it?"

Will's eyes somehow brightened even more, turning the same colour as the summer sky above. He wrapped his arms around Nico's thin neck lightly, trailing his fingers over the other boy's shoulder blades. Nico tried to concentrate on the words and not how warm his cheeks were going. "I love you too. Thank you, Nico."

The words embarrassed Nico more and he shrugged bashfully, ducking his head and ruffling the pretty pale curls on Will's forehead. Will smiled, laughing with his eyes. It was always his eyes- Eyes that spoke to him, hands that backed up his words, confirmed them. Nico loved everything about Will, from his neat curls to his tiny feet. Everything was small about Will. He was shorter than Nico, and Nico's hand engulfed his. Nico hoped it never changed- He liked being a protective figure for the other boy.

They stayed like that for far longer than twenty minutes, only moving so Nico could go find Will's favourite book. They settled back down, Nico's back against the tree, Will's head in Nico's nap as Nico lazily but dutifully wrote each word of the book against Will's upper arm. It was hard, because Nico wasn't the best English reader in the world (Italian was much easier), but he kept going, even when Will's breath deepened and he drifted into sleep against Nico's leg.

"We should just run away." Will scribbled on Nico's palm carefully, the words nearly illegible as Will's fingers trembled against his skin. Nico avoided looking at his best friend, one of his eyes teary and nearly swollen shut. He bit his lip hard.

"We're twelve," He wrote back slowly, then ran his thumb over Will's knuckles because it seemed like the right thing to do. "We don't have money, or food. I can't pay for your migraine capsules."

Will pouted, which made Nico feel bad, but he knew he had a point. They were just kids, and even though it wasn't fair that Will wasn't allowed outside anymore since his eyesight was all but gone, and Nico's parents fought all the time and now he had a black eye because he got between his mother and father when they started swinging punches.

"It's not fair, Nico." Will wrote, angling his other hand so he could dab gently at Nico's bloody lip, his eyes vacant and expression misty. Nico felt his stomach twist uncomfortably, not wanting to see Will cry. He couldn't handle Will crying. "It's not fair you have to deal with this."

"I know."

"We should get married one day, and live far away from here." Will wrote. He was visibly getting worked up, quickly darting his hands to his eyes to rub at them before speaking again. "I know I can't do anything. But I can get government support, and you can work. We can own a cat."

Nico's heart swelled at the longing in Will's expression. He took his hands, writing a clear message. "Let's call it Blue."

Will tilted his head to the side, his first smile of the day tugging wobbly at the edges of his cheeks. "Why Blue?"

"It's my favourite colour. Reminds me of you."

Will's eyes scrunched in his silent laughter, tangling their fingers together. He squeezed them, gently, and leaned their foreheads together. They were twelve, unable to know that in a year's time Will would move away. Unable to know that in three years' time, Nico would begin to completely hate himself. They were too lost in their friendship, in their childish love of each other, wishing for a future that wasn't possible because their future wasn't theirs to decide at twelve years old.

* * *

Nico looked up as Lou Ellen slammed the door open with the force of two hurricanes hitting one another. Will hadn't noticed, despite the vibrations, too absorbed in his homework. He was typing out an essay in braille, hands sliding over the keys effortlessly. He looked pretty when he concentrated, eyebrows pulling together and mouth pulled down.

Nico quickly gazed down at his own homework, frowning to himself. He'd been rooming with Will for, what, four months now? And within that time, Nico had noticed Will used his typing device with great reluctance. He did his work slowly, distantly. It confused Nico to no end- When they were kids, Will had absolutely no problem with braille in anyway. Nico wasn't sure if he wasn't able to read the language or he was just unwilling to do so. Will was awfully stubborn in his wish for no extra help from deaf-blind devices made for comfort. It was completely flabbergasting.

"I need to speak to you." Lou said loudly, and Nico looked up in surprise. After all, she couldn't possibly be speaking to Will who had still not yet noticed Lou.

"Why?" Nico asked, his eyebrows raising curiously. Lou was never in the room to hang out with Nico. Though they were friendly, they were nothing more than Will's mutual friends- Even that could be a stretch, since Nico didn't really classify himself as Will's friend more than his caretaker on most days. So this was certainly an odd and rare experience for them.

"Because I need to talk to you about Will and his fucked up attitude," Lou said bluntly, reaching over and yanking Nico's earplugs out. He yelped, outraged by both her actions and her words, and sat up, ready to protest except for the grim expression on her face.

"Fine- Let's go someplace else though." Nico snapped, standing up and switching off his laptop. "It's so fucking rude to talk about him like he's not here."

Nico stomped over to Will and tapped his shoulder, flinching when he jolted out of concentration, snapping his head up to look in the direction just off Nico's face.

"I'm going out for a bit," He wrote against Will's shoulder. "Do you need anything?"

The thing about Will was that he was just so _expressive_. It didn't matter that he was blind, that he wasn't exactly sure where people around him were at one time or what the emotion in their voices sounded like. He was just overwhelmingly emotive with his expressions; a person could instantly tell what he was thinking just by the look on his face. And right now he was contemplative, a hint sceptical. Nico knew it was because he had told Will earlier he wasn't leaving the room at all that night.

"Can you buy me some mochi?" He asked, smiling up at Nico. And damn it, he couldn't resist Will's smile even now- He was already trying to figure out where the nearest store was that sold the sweet. "The good kind. Money?"

"It's okay, I've got it." Nico wrote back, running a hand through Will's hair absently. They were touchy, had to be to communicate with one another. But sometimes Nico couldn't help but give subtle touches like this- Because even though they weren't in a romantic relationship, they wouldn't be in a romantic relationship because it was 'forbidden' ("I don't understand? You like me, I can tell." "Shut up, Will, you don't know shit."), that didn't mean Nico didn't enjoy the contact with Will when he could steal it. And it wasn't like Will minded either, since he took any moment he could to touch Nico in return.

They hadn't kissed since Nico explained that it wasn't cool to come onto someone without their consent. But more often than not, Will ended up in Nico's bed, curled up with Nico's smaller frame spooning him as they slept. Nico had grumbled at first, at how tall Will was now. But they both knew he wasn't serious. And when they woke up in the morning, Will's eyes did that crinkling thing they did since he was nine-years old and in wire-framed glasses.

"You're the best." Will wrote back, flashing a dazzling smile and then turning back in the direction of his computer. He fumbled for a moment to find his place, Nico leaning forward and gently positioning Will's fingers on the keys. Will's expression tightened into something extremely disgruntled.

Nico left the room, left Will to do his homework. Lou was leaning against the wall, smashing her thumbs against the screen of her phone rapidly. Nico closed the door behind him quietly and walked over to her. "Come down to that Japanese store with me. Will wants mochi."

Lou grimaced and Nico couldn't blame her. The store was on the other side of the campus- But she didn't complain. She, like Nico, couldn't refuse Will anything he wanted.

They were on the sidewalk before Lou began speaking, her tone soft but serious. "You need to get Will to go home on the first weekend of next month." She said, looking at the pavement. Nico's neck turned sharply to look at her, absolutely confused by her request.

"What?" He demanded to know, "Will hates going home. He avoids it as much as possible, you know that."

They stood at the shuttle stop, not looking at each other. It seemed they'd both gotten into the habit of not looking people in the eye lately. They maintained as much of a distance they could without risking eavesdroppers, Lou warily looking at the stereotypical frat boy that was bopping his head to whatever music was playing in his headphones.

"I know he does," She hissed back at Nico, expression as dry and exasperated as she could possibly make it. "But it's important. His mom… She's really sick. His dad has been trying to get him to go home to visit for a couple of months now- He's threatening to cut off Will's allowance if he doesn't visit at least once."

_Will's mom was sick._ Nico swallowed thickly, looking anywhere but at the girl next to him. He didn't like to think of moms in general, but thinking of _sick_, ill mothers just made everything so much worse. He couldn't bring himself to ask about her. "Will has an allowance?"

He was very aware of the eye roll in Lou's voice as she responded. "Duh. He can't exactly pay for university himself, can he? He doesn't have a job."

Nico scowled and scuffed his foot against the smooth pavement, feeling stupid but stubbornly sticking to his feelings. "I thought he was on disability payments."

"He refuses to take them," Lou said, and this time she sounded so tired that Nico felt his heart squeeze painfully in sympathy. Lou had been with Will at the 'clinic' and probably had to deal with a lot more of Will's issues then Nico ever had to. It mustn't have been easy- Not that it would have been easy for Will either, definitely not. "That's why I need you to do this. He's too stubborn, pig-headed. He doesn't want any government help at all… You see how he is with his assisting tools. He hates them. So he _needs _to keep his allowance, or he won't be able to stay on campus anymore. And he needs to go see his mom- She's really, really sick, Nico."

Nico looked up at the sky and noticed Will's eyes had been nearly the same clear blue today. He took a deep breath as the shuttle bus pulled up to the bus station. "Fine, I'll do it. He'll hate me for it, though."

Lou laughed at him then, nudging him as she hopped on the bus, flashing a cheeky grin over her shoulder. "Will couldn't hate you. There's a reason I asked you to do this. You have him wrapped around your little finger, you know?"

Nico thought that was infinitely untrue. Not when he would reach to pull the sun and moon down for Will if he could.

* * *

_**Hey guys! I know it's been a super long time since I've updated- and this is a little rushed (and unedited whoops) I was just so excited to be back!**_

_**Life has been pretty hectic for me over the last year. I just finished high school and I think I did okay! But that's definitely been the reason I've been gone for so long. Truthfully, this chapter would have been out last week but I've had to sit down and remember exactly why I was writing this ahah!**_

**_My other fics will probably be updated at a later time, I just really want to finish this story (it's nowhere near done yet though oops)_**

**_anyway, please please leave a review to tell me what you thought of the chapter! I'd really like your feedback. _**


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